Valuing People: Hopes and dreams for the future

Abstract

This paper outlines the views of key policy makers, implementers and practitioners on Valuing People (Department of Health, Valuing people. A new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century, The Stationary Office, London, 2001). It reports a series of interviews conducted in 2003/2004 with a diverse selection of people involved in English policy construction and implementation around the support needs of people with a learning disability and/or around older people and dementia. Interviewees talked about what they perceived to be the strengths and weaknesses of policies for this client group, which led to thinking particularly about the gaps in provision for people with a learning disability as they age. The findings discussed here introduce interviewees' reported hopes and dreams for social policy in 10 years' time. The interviewees highlighted satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the connections between policy and practice. Areas for policy development and, crucially, ways of improving provision to people with a learning disability who develop dementia are highlighted.